PART 17:

Emma talked nonstop about her ocean diorama, which had won second place in the science fair. Selena asked questions and seemed genuinely interested in the answers. Adrian watched them interact and felt something in his chest unknot slightly. After dinner, Emma pulled out a board game, some complicated thing involving ocean animals and collecting fish cards.

They played for an hour, Emma winning by a landslide because she’d memorized all the rules and bent them in her favor when nobody was looking. At 9:00, Adrian sent Emma to get ready for bed. She hugged Selena goodnight without prompting, then ran off to brush her teeth. Adrian and Selena cleaned up the kitchen in comfortable silence.

When the last dish was put away, Selena turned to him. She’s really something. Yeah, she is. You’ve done an incredible job with her. I’ve done my best. Most days that doesn’t feel like enough. It’s more than enough. She’s happy, she’s smart. She knows she’s loved. That’s everything. Adrian dried his hands on a dish towel.

You’re good with her. I’m trying. I don’t really know what I’m doing. Neither do I most of the time. Selena smiled. That’s weirdly comforting. They moved to the couch. Adrian turned on the TV, but muted it, letting it play in the background. They sat close enough that their shoulders touched. I’ve been thinking, Selena said.

About? About what you said, about not wanting my money, not wanting me to solve your problems. She turned to face him. I respect that. I do. But I need you to understand something. If we’re going to do this, really do this, then we’re a team. That means when you’re struggling, I’m struggling. When you have a problem, it’s our problem.

Selena. Let me finish. I’m not trying to buy you or fix you or make you dependent on me, but I also can’t sit back and watch you drown when I have resources that could help. That’s not partnership. That’s just me being selfish. How is that selfish? Because it makes me feel better about myself while you suffer.

She took his hand. So, here’s what I’m proposing. If they fire you, we deal with it together. I have connections. I can make calls, open doors. Not because I’m trying to rescue you, but because that’s what people who care about each other do. I can’t ask you to do that. You’re not asking. I’m offering.

Adrian looked down at their joined hands. What if people think I’m using you? Let them think what they want. We’ll know the truth. It’s not that simple. It is, though. People are always going to have opinions. We can either live our lives trying to manage those opinions, or we can focus on what actually matters. She squeezed his hand.

Emma told me something while we were cooking. What? She said you’re the bravest person she knows, that you’re always scared, but you do hard things anyway. Selena’s eyes were bright. I think she’s right, and I think dating me counts as a hard thing. Adrian laughed despite himself. You’re definitely a hard thing. So, do it scared.

We’ll both do it scared. But let’s do it together. He kissed her. It was the first time, and it felt like jumping off a cliff and growing wings simultaneously. She tasted like wine and hope and everything he’d been too afraid to reach for. When they pulled apart, Selena was smiling. Took you long enough, she said. I’m a slow learner.

Good thing I’m patient. They sat together on the couch until almost midnight, talking about nothing and everything. Selena told him about growing up poor, about her mother who cleaned houses until her hands cracked and bled, about her father who’d worked himself to death trying to provide, about the scholarship that had saved her life in the first tech job where she’d been the only woman on a team of 15 men.

Adrian told her about Emma’s mother, about coming home to find her gone, about the months of barely holding it together, about the day he’d realized he was going to be okay because he had to be. They didn’t solve anything, but they understood each other better, and for now, that felt like enough. Monday morning, everything came to a head.

Adrian was on the 32nd floor replacing ceiling tiles when his radio crackled. Vale, report to HR immediately. His stomach dropped. On my way. He took the elevator down, mind racing through everything he might have done wrong. Had he missed something, screwed up a job, been late to a call? Katherine Moreno was waiting in the same office as before.

But this time she wasn’t alone. There was a man in a suit Adrian didn’t recognize holding a folder that looked ominously thick. Sit down, Mr. Vale. Adrian sat. This is David Chen from our legal department, Katherine said. We need to discuss some concerns about your conduct. What concerns? David opened the folder.

Over the past 3 weeks, you’ve been involved in a personal relationship with Ms. Selena Cross, our CEO. Is that correct? Yes. And are you aware that company policy prohibits relationships between employees where there’s a significant power differential? I’m aware. Then you understand you violated that policy. Adrian’s hands clenched on the armrests.

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